Clara Poole and the Long Way Round by Taylor Tyng MG Contemporary, 2023 by Pixel + Ink, 384 Pages What I Didn’t Like: Children can’t enter into contracts. Of course, this illustrates WHY in a decent way. Suspend your disbelief on that one and you’ll be fine. Sometimes a lack of dialogue tags makes it... Continue Reading →
Weekend by Christopher Pike YA Mystery/Thriller, 1986 by Scholastic Press, 240 Pages What I Didn’t Like: Over the top dramatization of teens behaving badly. Funny how this used to be the norm and yet now it feels so fake. Obsession with sex. Again, it feels over the top. Strangely, I’ve noticed this a lot on... Continue Reading →
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate MG Contemporary, 2012 by HarperCollins, 307 Pages What I Didn’t Like: Punctuation is accurate. That’s a weird thing to list as a negative but it’s a question I had. If this is a 1st person story from a gorilla, wouldn’t it be badly punctuated? Of course, he... Continue Reading →
Note: My book reviews will soon be moving EXCLUSIVELY to alltherightreads.com Make sure you follow us over there so you don't miss anything! Day Zero by Kelly DeVos YA Science Fiction, 2019 by Inkyard Press, 432 Pages What I Didn’t Like: There are parts of the history of this Dystopian future that are glossed over,... Continue Reading →
The Great Forest by Valinora Troy MG Fantasy, 2023 by Disresponsible Nodpots, 198 Pages What I Didn’t Like: There’s a lot going on since the kids are not all together. This requires you to really focus and keep track. Repetition. Some ideas are repeated, which is common in middle grade. It can get mildly annoying.... Continue Reading →
Whew, another month has gone by and it’s time to take a look at what I actually accomplished in May.
Sanctuary by Caryn Lix YA Science Fiction, 2018 by Simon Pulse, 480 Pages What I Didn’t Like: The “oh no he’s so cute” stuff is a bit annoying, although not excessive. The voice feels awkward and fake, more like an adult trying to write like a teenager than an actual teenager. I didn’t love our... Continue Reading →
On Earth, As It Is by Jim Doran YA Fantasy, 2019 by Lulu Publishing, 368 Pages What I Didn’t Like: I’m not a fan of starting with a cast of characters, personally. That’s said, I just skipped it. No harm done. It is a pet peeve of mine when technical things are dismissed as simple,... Continue Reading →
The Road Home by Kerri Davidson and Mark Gelinas YA Contemporary, 2022 by Kerri Davidson, 274 Pages What I Didn’t Like: It’s difficult to pull off a romance that continues after the happy-for-now ending. This suffered from some of that awkwardness and you attempted to figure out what this story is about now. The pacing... Continue Reading →
Her Latent Charm by Dana C Brentson A Fantasy, 2023 by DcBrentson Author, 442 Pages What I Didn’t Like: Slow start. The paving is uneven so some spots move quickly while others drag. It makes it difficult to get your bearings. I didn’t find myself connected to any of the characters, which made it very... Continue Reading →
